Russia's late bloomer finesses her way into Madrid quarterfinals

What's not to like about Ekaterina Makarova? She has a way better-than-average serve, she's a very clean striker of the ball, she can  really hit the angles, introduce touch, think on the court--and she's left-handed. She also has a demeanor, both on and off the court, that makes you want to cheer for her. For years, I wondered why Makarova wasn't ranked higher (people also wondered that about Angelique Kerber, and at age 23, she started turning her career around), but the reality was that she was one of those talented players who just wasn't consistent, and who wasn't good at winning.

Now, at age 24, the "forgotten" Russian is turning into an authentic threat, especially at big events. My favorite photo of Makarova is this one from the 2013 Fed Cup semifinal because it embodies all the belief she has acquired in the past couple of years. That recent Fed Cup performance can't hurt, either. Like Kerber, Makarova is title-poor; her only title came in Eastbourne in 2010.

Makarova is a good doubles player, too, and her current partnership with countrywoman Elena Vesnina has been productive. Makarova was half of the runner-up team at the 2010 Australian Open mixed doubles competition, and she was half of the championship mixed doubles team at last year's U.S. Open.

Currently ranked number 24 in the world, Makarova reached her highest ranking, 19, earlier this year. The tall Russian is having a good week in Madrid (and, like another tall Russian, she supposedly doesn't favor clay courts), starting with a straight sets win over Lucie Safarova. In the second round, Makarova ended Victoria Azarenka's 2013 18-match streak. Today, she brought her best game to beat Marion Bartoli. In the quarterfinals, she'll play clay expert Sara Errani (seeded number 7), and if she keeps up the good serving, she could find herself in the semifinals.

I like watching her, and hope that she becomes even more of a threat in the near future.

Here is the rest of the Madrid quarterfinal draw:

Serena Williams (1) vs. Anabel Medina Garrigues
Angelique Kerber (6) vs. Ana Ivanovic
Kaia Kanepi vs. Maria Sharapova (2)

The doubles quarterfinals were played today, and there were a couple of upsets. Wild cards Silvia Soler-Espinosa and Carla Suarez Navarro defeated 4th seeds Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears, and Kristina Mladenovic (there she is again) and Galina Voskoboeva defeated 3rd seeds Makarova and Vesnina.

In the semifinals, Soler-Espinosa and Suarez Navarro will play Cara Black and Marina Erakovic, and Mladenovic and Voskoboeva will play Lucie Safarova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Singapore chosen to host WTA Championships

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the top 10

There was more top 10 damage in Madrid today when Ekaterina Makarova defeated 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. Everything went well for Azarenka in the first set, but after that, the former world number 1 put on a display of anger reminiscent of the "old" Vika. She broke a couple of rackets, she said a lot of angry things, and she took a cheap shot at chair umpire Mariana Alves.

In the past few years, Makarova has learned how to win at important moments, and it wasn't difficult for her to exploit Azarenka's runaway emotions.

Just a few weeks ago, a television commentator said of Petra Kvitova, "She's kind of mixing it up, Kvitova--the sublime and the ridiculous." Well put. Today, the 8th seed tried to pull off her usual "wait until the last moment and storm the gates" strategy, but wild card Daniela Hantuchova had something to say about that. Kvitova went down 2-5 in the third set, broke Hantuchova, held her serve, then came very close to breaking Hantuchova the second time the veteran player served for the match. But Hantuchova prevailed, with a 2-6. 6-2, 6-3 victory.

Hantuchova, who has been playing quite well lately (and has, in fact, always played quite well--her game usually wasn't her problem) and holding her nerve, did everything she could--changing pace, spinning, etc.--to unravel Kvitova's pace and big groundstrokes, and it was a good strategy. She played clay court tennis. Of course, it helped her cause that Kvitova made 54 unforced errors.

These days, watching Kvitova--especially when she just barely wins--makes me think of Thrill Ride (for those new to reading this blog, Thrill Ride was my name for Dinara Safina). I miss Thrill Ride, but--despite the thrills--her last-minute desperate action doesn't make for a good example to be followed. Especially by someone who won the Madrid tournament only two years ago.

Probably the most a agonizing match was played between Laura Robson and Ana Ivanovic. It went to three sets, and neither woman appeared to want to win. Up 5-2, Robson served for the match twice and was broken both times. But when she served for the match at 6-5, Ivanovic was broken. Finally, Ivanovic won the match by winning the third set tiebreak, which ended with a double fault. Robson committed eleven of those in the match, and Ivanovic committed ten.

Also today, top seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka were beaten 6-2, 6-4 in the second round by Svetlana Kuznetsova and Flavia Pennetta.

The third round is still in progress, and, for the record, there are only four top 10 players remaining in the draw: Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Angelique Kerber, and Sara Errani.

Passing shots

Shelby Rogers has earned a wild card into the main draw of the French Open.

Talk about opening up the draw. Today, in Madrid, Sam Stosur went out in the first round (def. by Carla Suarez Navarro) and Agnieszka Radwanska went out in the second (def. by Laura Robson). Li Na, Jelena Jankovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Mona Barthel, and Roberta Vinci have already been eliminated from the tournament.

Venus Williams has become one of the owners of World Team Tennis.

Sara Errani is blogging from Madrid.

Just in case you haven't seen it, here's an emphatic piece of self-destruction, brought to you by Sloane Stephens. "What was she thinking?" doesn't seem adequate.

You'd think that sexist people would come up with something better than the tired and routine "shrill" description for women who actually speak their minds. Calling Venus Williams "shrill" actually makes my blood boil, just as it does when female politicians are called "shrill." Oh, and perhaps someone should tell the unbearably shrill Mr. Brown that the tour offered to play five-set matches, but Wimbledon turned down the offer.

First round play in Madrid perhaps not what we expected

Li Na is out of Madrid. Just like that. Li was defeated--and defeated soundly--today in the first round by lucky loser Madison Keys. Keys had lost in qualifying to Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Also going out in the first round today was Caroline Wozniacki, who lost to Yaroslava Shvedova.

But that wasn't the end of it. Jelena Jankovic was defeated by qualifier Chanelle Scheepers, and Roberta Vinci lost to Varvara Lepchenko. Yesterday, it was Mona Barthel who went out, beaten by Kirsten Flipkens.

On paper, these first round losses are very surprising, but we shouldn't be that surprised by Wozniacki and Barthel; neither of them is having a very good time of it. The other losses did surprise me. I consider Li a contender to win the French Open, Jankovic had actually started looking like herself again, and Vinci--well, I expected her to win on clay.

Two players who have yet to compete in the first round are Victoria Azarenka and Sam Stosur. Azarenka will play Portugal Open champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Stosur will play Portugal Open runner-up Carla Suarez Navarro. If Stosur wins, she gets Kaia Kanepi in the second round.

And, speaking of the second round, should we brace ourselves for more upsets?

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Pavlyuchenkova wins Portugal Open

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, seeded 3rd at the Portugal Open, won the singles title today when she defeated Carla Suarez Navarro 7-5. 6-2 in the final. 2nd seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Kristina Mladenovic won the doubles title, defeating Darja Jurak and Katalin Marosi 7-6, 6-2.

This year marked the tournament's debut on the tour. Pavlyuchenkova has now won five WTA titles.